Nora stared blankly at Ron, unable to understand why that was what he was focusing on. Still, she answered honestly. "It's pale red. I just dyed it a light black with the juice of an Ink-dye Flower."
This time, Nora didn't lower her voice. Her clear, pleasant voice reached Ron's ears, and he instinctively took half a step back.
"You're a girl!?" Ron exclaimed in surprise, suddenly feeling as if he'd become the male protagonist of a manga.
"Yeah." Nora also took half a step back, eyeing Ron warily as she tugged her tattered robe tighter around herself. She gave a self-mocking smile. "I'm Cat-kin, a half-beast. Would having me as your employee be embarrassing for you?"
Half-beasts held a very low position on the continent, basically on par with slaves.
Orcs had human-shaped bodies and animal heads. Half-beasts looked more like humans, but because of their bloodline, they still retained some Orc features.
Cat ears, for instance, or a cat's tail.
And red eyes.
Ron had only a quarter Fox-kin blood, and Andre's bloodline was probably more dominant. So aside from his slightly reddish eyes, he had no extra features like fox ears or a fox tail.
What's more, female half-beasts were even lower in status than males. They were often playthings for the upper nobles of the Human Empire.
That was why Nora usually hid her ears and tail beneath a tattered robe and a hemp hat, and used Ink-dye Flower juice to conceal her red eyes. She also lowered her voice to sound like a boy.
Because of her half-beast identity, she didn't even dare join the bands of vagrants. She was afraid someone would discover who she was and that something bad would happen.
So she wasn't even allowed to compete for territory. She could only search through garbage cans during the "off-season," scavenging scraps that others had already picked over.
That was why Nora had been tempted when Ron offered to hire her.
But she'd already tasted the bitterness of being taken in and then abandoned countless times.
Many kind people had pitied her and offered her a meal or a job, but only because they didn't know she was a half-beast.
The moment her identity was exposed, those "kind people" would invariably reveal their disgust.
That was the underside of society. Nora was used to it.
That was why she dared to tell Ron who she was to his face.
If Ron showed even the slightest hint of disgust, Nora would turn and leave at once.
If he tried anything rash, she wouldn't hesitate to use the dagger in her hand.
To Nora, Ron looked so soft and delicate that he surely wouldn't be a match for her.
That was what gave her the confidence to reveal her identity.
But Ron simply looked at her with an amused, helpless expression and said, "What does it matter if you're a half-beast? I just want to find a hardworking, capable employee."
"Really?" Nora took another half-step back, eyeing him suspiciously.
Ron leaned forward and lowered his head until his eyes met hers. With a soft laugh, he said, "Take a look at my eyes. You should be able to tell, right?"
Nora leaned back, averting her gaze for a moment. Then, hearing Ron's words, she instinctively looked into his eyes.
His eyes were black at their core, but a faint reddish hue lay over the surface, giving them an almost bewitching quality.
"A half-beast? How could that be..." Nora stared at him, looking first at the top of his head, then glancing lower, but she didn't spot any unusual features.
"Don't bother looking. I don't have any other features," Ron said with a laugh and a shake of his head. "My mother was Fox-kin, so I have a quarter Orc blood. It only gives my eyes a slight reddish tint."
Nora stared at him, murmuring, "You have Orc blood too..."
"Yeah. My own mother was a half-beast. I'd hardly discriminate against my own mother, would I?" Ron shrugged. "So I genuinely don't care about that. You can put your mind at ease."
Nora remained dazed for a long while, feeling that she needed time to process the news.
Who could have guessed that this refined, handsome man standing before her also had Orc blood flowing through his veins?
His mother was a half-beast too...
So he wouldn't discriminate against her like all those people who changed their tune...
And he'd asked her to apply for a job as his shop assistant...
Maybe she really could give it a try...
After who knew how long, Nora swallowed as she stared at Ron and asked timidly, "Five silver coins a week?"
"Yeah, five silver coins a week." Ron nodded.
"Work in the morning and afternoon?"
"That's right."
"Just look after the shop?"
"More or less. You'll help me sell flowers. When customers come in, you collect the money. You'll just need to help clean up now and then."
"What about at night?"
"Huh? The shop doesn't need to be open at night. What are you planning?"
"I've seen other shops stay open at night too."
"My shop has plenty of business already, so there's no need to open at night. Besides, I don't have time. I have other things to do in the evenings."
So was it because he had enough business, or because he didn't have time?
"Well... mostly because I'm lazy."
"I can help you. You can keep doing whatever you need to do, and I can look after the shop at night too."
"What do you get out of that? Looking after the shop all day must be exhausting."
"If we open at night too, would the pay be a little higher?"
"..." Ron looked down at the bright-eyed girl before him and couldn't help laughing. "It's not out of the question. If you don't mind working a little harder, we can open at night too. Ten silver coins a week. How does that sound?"
At the offer of ten silver coins a week, Nora's eyes lit up. She nodded again and again. "That works for me!"
"I can provide room and board here. You can eat your three meals a day with me, and you won't have to dig through that stuff anymore." Ron glanced at the nearby garbage can, then asked, "Do you have somewhere to stay? There are two bedrooms in my shop. I could rent one to you."
"Huh?" Nora had been pleased to hear that she could get her meals at the shop, but at Ron's next words, she immediately grew wary. "Stay here? Do you stay here at night too?"
"Yeah. Why?" Ron asked, puzzled.
"...It's nothing." Nora eyed Ron suspiciously, but couldn't read his expression. Still, she shook her head. "I have somewhere to stay, so there's no need to trouble you."
She believed that Ron really did want to hire her, but they'd only just met. Moving straight into his home would be far too rash.
She still needed time to observe Ron and make sure he truly meant her no harm.
Nora had been wandering the streets since childhood, and she knew to stay on guard.
Her past experience had taught her one thing: be careful in all things. Caution never hurt.
If she hadn't been careful, she would've been tricked by human traffickers long ago.
Ron hadn't thought that far ahead. He nodded. "Then it's settled. Come to my shop tomorrow morning, and we'll officially sign an employment contract. After that, you can get started. How does that sound?"
Nora nodded vigorously.
Me: Let's sign a book-reading contract. Every time you read this book, you have to cast a recommendation vote. — Readers nod vigorously.
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Before you continue